news-AFAPresidentReport

News - AFA Presidents Report 2007/2008

On behalf of the members I would like to thank the committee for their outstanding achievements and contributions to flyball throughout the year. Executive committee: Eric van Zuyden, Brian Lindsay and Pat Byrne. General Committee: Kylie White, Jenny Millar, Terry Hunter, Clare Ellis, Rosie Milton, Justin Allen and Leoney Pritchard. Regional Reps: Lyn Clyde, Eric van Zuyden, Catherine Saberton, Dot Baverstock, Jo Drake, Richard Mellon and Amy Holmes.

Much has happened since our last AGM and I wish to acknowledge the dedicated and hard working AFA Committee, who attend the 3 to 4 hour monthly meetings and sub-committee meetings in which they have managed our association so effectively. Thank you team! …..please give them applause.

With 754 members, 592 active dogs, 35 affiliated clubs/teams, 18 judges and 3 provisional judges, 45 ticketed stewards and timekeepers, flyball has proven to be “the fastest growing dog sport in Australia”. Thanks to the teams/clubs who have hosted competitions we managed to break the target of 10% growth, as we have seen a 13% increase in frequency (from 40 to 45). The 72,389 Title points awarded shows an increase of 14%. 3391 dogs entered into competitions showed an increase of 17%. 589 teams entered sanctioned competitions showing an increase of 12% from last year.

The 2007/2008 year has been very productive for the Australian Flyball Association, having sanctioned our 262nd competition. We have purchased one more Signature Timing System and additional microphone systems for judges, with four new systems based in Victoria, Queensland, NSW and ACT.

The ANKC Agreement is now in place allowing both bodies to play flyball under a common set of rules. Title points will be recognised by both State Canine Control Bodies and AFA.

In response to the member motion passed at last year AGM, regarding dog measurement and confirmation. We called for members to investigate the various methods of measuring a dog’s jump height. The sub- committee was chaired by Eric van Zuyden including Gary Hehir, Colin Bruce, Terry Hunter and Dot Baverstock. Various reports of differing opinion were submitted and shared with the members via website. The general AFA Committee decided to refrain from making any recommendation on this matter.

The AFA Committee proudly presented the new AFA logo. We invited members for input and to submit designs for the logo and approved the use of Liz Coombes’ design. We are very grateful for Liz’s contribution. The committee were sensitive to the heritage of the previous design and the design principles are similar, as it incorporates a map of Australia and a dog jumping. The feedback received has been very positive and it was evident that it was time for modern and professional branding for our sport. I extend a huge thank you to Liz for donating the new AFA logo.

Many policies “on trial” were finalised via ballot, which will be announced later tonight. We also implemented an AFA committee code of conduct and committee protocols.

The new website membership logon allows members to view their dog’s title points by competition, dog titles achieved and functionality to view and change personal details online such as address, email & contact numbers, which is automatically updated to the AFA database. This project was implemented thanks to Leoney Pritchard and web developer Rob Shaw. Leoney has contributed hundreds of hours into maintaining the seedtimes, database, competition results and the AFA website.

Wallet sized membership cards were produced thanks to the efforts of Pat Byrne and assisted by Karen Shields who integrated the member data base information formatted onto the handy card. Pat has streamlined the membership renewal process, which is a huge task. Bravo and thanks, Pat.

Clearer communication channels to members are continuing, via the detailed monthly meeting minutes as scribed by secretary, Brian Lindsay and published on the AFA website for all to see. Brian is the guru of correspondence and has kept a “tight ship” as far as effective communication and has also contributed hundreds of hours of work to our sport. Thank you, Brian.

I acknowledge our hard working supervisory Judge Rosie Milton who has supported our judges, chaired dog incident and rules sub–committees, marked steward/ timekeeper questionaries and progressed the training of three provisional judges. Thank you also to our dedicated judges who selflessly refereed 107 appointments in our sport, so that we can have fun playing with our dogs.

Congratulations to Kylie White and her team for hosting the best National Australian Flyball Championships EVER! We are aware of the enormous effort that went into the planning and management of the total event and of the hard work of all on the Committee, Belconnen Club, K-9 Krusaders, ACT Companion Dog Club and ACT Royal Agricultural Society who assisted. They have set a new standard for future Australian Flyball Championships. The logistics of managing thirty eight teams across eight divisions took quality leadership. They set the Australian Record of hosting seventeen flyball races per hour and given the future event organisers a real challenge to meet. We were privileged to experience the expertise of the two North American Flyball Judges Brian Fay and Todd Morningstar. Brian and Todd’s visit to Australia has consolidated the global bridge within our sport.

Finally, on behalf of the members I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the growth of the sport during the last year.

Yours sincerely,

Glenn Pritchard

Australian Flyball Association President



	News - AFA Presidents Report 2007/2008 On behalf of the members I would like to thank the committee for their outstanding achievements and contributions to flyball throughout the year. Executive committee: Eric van Zuyden, Brian Lindsay and Pat Byrne. General Committee: Kylie White, Jenny Millar, Terry Hunter, Clare Ellis, Rosie Milton, Justin Allen and Leoney Pritchard. Regional Reps: Lyn Clyde, Eric van Zuyden, Catherine Saberton, Dot Baverstock, Jo Drake, Richard Mellon and Amy Holmes. Much has happened since our last AGM and I wish to acknowledge the dedicated and hard working AFA Committee, who attend the 3 to 4 hour monthly meetings and sub-committee meetings in which they have managed our association so effectively. Thank you team! …..please give them applause. With 754 members, 592 active dogs, 35 affiliated clubs/teams, 18 judges and 3 provisional judges, 45 ticketed stewards and timekeepers, flyball has proven to be “the fastest growing dog sport in Australia”. Thanks to the teams/clubs who have hosted competitions we managed to break the target of 10% growth, as we have seen a 13% increase in frequency (from 40 to 45). The 72,389 Title points awarded shows an increase of 14%. 3391 dogs entered into competitions showed an increase of 17%. 589 teams entered sanctioned competitions showing an increase of 12% from last year. The 2007/2008 year has been very productive for the Australian Flyball Association, having sanctioned our 262nd competition. We have purchased one more Signature Timing System and additional microphone systems for judges, with four new systems based in Victoria, Queensland, NSW and ACT. The ANKC Agreement is now in place allowing both bodies to play flyball under a common set of rules. Title points will be recognised by both State Canine Control Bodies and AFA. In response to the member motion passed at last year AGM, regarding dog measurement and confirmation. We called for members to investigate the various methods of measuring a dog’s jump height. The sub- committee was chaired by Eric van Zuyden including Gary Hehir, Colin Bruce, Terry Hunter and Dot Baverstock. Various reports of differing opinion were submitted and shared with the members via website. The general AFA Committee decided to refrain from making any recommendation on this matter. The AFA Committee proudly presented the new AFA logo. We invited members for input and to submit designs for the logo and approved the use of Liz Coombes’ design. We are very grateful for Liz’s contribution. The committee were sensitive to the heritage of the previous design and the design principles are similar, as it incorporates a map of Australia and a dog jumping. The feedback received has been very positive and it was evident that it was time for modern and professional branding for our sport. I extend a huge thank you to Liz for donating the new AFA logo. Many policies “on trial” were finalised via ballot, which will be announced later tonight. We also implemented an AFA committee code of conduct and committee protocols. The new website membership logon allows members to view their dog’s title points by competition, dog titles achieved and functionality to view and change personal details online such as address, email & contact numbers, which is automatically updated to the AFA database. This project was implemented thanks to Leoney Pritchard and web developer Rob Shaw. Leoney has contributed hundreds of hours into maintaining the seedtimes, database, competition results and the AFA website. Wallet sized membership cards were produced thanks to the efforts of Pat Byrne and assisted by Karen Shields who integrated the member data base information formatted onto the handy card. Pat has streamlined the membership renewal process, which is a huge task. Bravo and thanks, Pat. Clearer communication channels to members are continuing, via the detailed monthly meeting minutes as scribed by secretary, Brian Lindsay and published on the AFA website for all to see. Brian is the guru of correspondence and has kept a “tight ship” as far as effective communication and has also contributed hundreds of hours of work to our sport. Thank you, Brian. I acknowledge our hard working supervisory Judge Rosie Milton who has supported our judges, chaired dog incident and rules sub–committees, marked steward/ timekeeper questionaries and progressed the training of three provisional judges. Thank you also to our dedicated judges who selflessly refereed 107 appointments in our sport, so that we can have fun playing with our dogs. Congratulations to Kylie White and her team for hosting the best National Australian Flyball Championships EVER! We are aware of the enormous effort that went into the planning and management of the total event and of the hard work of all on the Committee, Belconnen Club, K-9 Krusaders, ACT Companion Dog Club and ACT Royal Agricultural Society who assisted. They have set a new standard for future Australian Flyball Championships. The logistics of managing thirty eight teams across eight divisions took quality leadership. They set the Australian Record of hosting seventeen flyball races per hour and given the future event organisers a real challenge to meet. We were privileged to experience the expertise of the two North American Flyball Judges Brian Fay and Todd Morningstar. Brian and Todd’s visit to Australia has consolidated the global bridge within our sport. Finally, on behalf of the members I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the growth of the sport during the last year. Yours sincerely, Glenn Pritchard Australian Flyball Association President